FOOD - The . Thome . Home .

Energy Bites

March 29, 2019 by Abby Thome

These Energy Bites are a game changer. Seriously, guys.

If you are in need of a protein packed snack, full of nutrients, that will not only fill you up, but one that you can feel good about eating – look no further! These little beauties have been in my life for a little over two years. I have tweaked the recipe since I last shared, and wanted to give you guys the refreshed and delicious revamp!

On Sunday, I double the recipe, whip these up and put them into the fridge, where for two weeks, myself + my crew enjoy them! I eat two everyday, after I break my fast. And, for those of you wondering, YES – I intermittent fast. We can do an entirely separate post about it all, because there is SO much confusion and hype around the entire topic. If you want to hear that entire story of why I have been doing it for over 7 months – comment on my Instagram, or Facebook and I’ll put together a blog post!

Back to the balls!

Here is the recipe!

These are great for new mamas, to gift to them! The easiest to eat, great for milk supply, and are protein packed to keep their energy levels up! I mix all of the ingredients with a handheld mixer, and simply scoop the mixture into my hands to form approx. 2″ balls. If your mixture is not sticking well, just mix in more peanut or almond butter, it’ll do the trick!

Store in an airtight container for two weeks!

Speaking of staying on track with healthy snacks ….

The key to me staying on track daily is by having healthy, nutrient dense foods ready to go for me.

My two other favorite protein dense snacks that are stocked in my pantry …

I may or may not eat 2 bags of the chickpeas a week, and at least 2 can of almonds a week just by myself. I have them in my car, and in my purse for those belly growling moments when I forget to grab something for on the go. It’s a sincere addiction, and one that I am so proud of.

It’s so easy to grab crap when you are in a hurry, so making sure that each week you have healthy snacks ready for you, is a great first step to maintaining a healthier lifestyle!

xoxo, abby

Keeping gift giving simple for kids!

March 26, 2019 by Abby Thome

When I first heard about the four simple guidelines to gift giving for kids, I thought that it was pure genius! This guide is so useful, when we as parents, can get so overwhelmed with all of the choices!

The goal here is about being intentional while choosing gifts for your kids.

Here are the 4 guidelines …

Something they want

Something they need

Something to wear

Something to read

I love this approach for shopping for my kids, because there is a purpose to everything that they receive!

Brody and Owen are going through the mirrored stage, perhaps it is their two-year age gap. What one wants, the other wants as well. So, shopping for them is extremely easy!

WANT: Adidas slides for vacation

NEED: electric toothbrush

WEAR: Swimsuit for summer

READ: national geographic kids

If you have a kid between the ages of 6-12, I could not recommend these National Geographic books more! They get absolutely lost in the hundreds of fun facts, silly and fascinating stories! Our boys like to bring them to dinner table, making our table talk extra fun!

They are fun for the entire family!

For our mighty Max!

WANT: Spider-man into the Spider-verse

NEED: Sun hat for vacation

WEAR: Swimsuit for summer

READ: Dragons Love Tacos

If you have a toddler, you know the movie rotation all to well! End of April, and up until last week, it was three weeks straight of Jumanji (the original), and the past week he has become obsessed with the new Spider-man flick. If you haven’t checked it out yet, add it to your family movie night! It is so so good!

I love the simplicity of this guide, especially with Easter right around the corner! I hope it makes your shopping a little easier, whether it be for holidays or birthdays – giving you a checklist to go by, so you can feel good about your gift giving!

Of course, they’ll get loads of candy, too! C’mon, I’m a cool mom!

Rainbow Rice Sensory Box for Toddlers

March 20, 2019 by Abby Thome

If you’re a parent to a toddler, you know just how hard it is to find an activity to do for them that holds their attention for more than just a few minutes. Those little bums can hardly sit long enough to peel off a few stickers, let alone paint an entire piece of paper before they discover a different route to take to make that activity a little bit more fun, and always messier.

I have been making this sensory rice box for my boys as long as I can remember, and it has always been the one activity that they truly engage with and will sit four hours (yes – hours) playing with the rice.

Sensory play is a crucial part of a toddlers development. Did you know that sensory play supports motor skills, a little ones language development and ability to problem solve?? Those are just a few of its benefits!

I know what you are thinking …. “That has to make the biggest mess ever!!”

Guess what – it does. And, it really isn’t a big deal, at all. Unlike paint, stickers, or play-doh, if you lay down a blanket underneath your rice box anything that falls out can easily be scooped right back in.

For under $10 you can create this amazing Rice Sensory Box, and you’ll have endless hours of play for your little one!

Click on the links below, you can grab everything you need at Target!

Rainbow Rice:

Long grain white rice

Food Coloring

White Vinegar

Gallon Ziploc Bags

Let’s make Rainbow Rice!

I use one bag of rice per color – two if we are really wanting to fill the box.

(Set aside multiple baking sheets/and or/ dishes to pour the wet colored rice into)

Pour rice into a gallon bag.

ONE teaspoon of vinegar for ONE bag of rice. TWO teaspoons for TWO bags.

Add as little or as much food coloring as you would like. I use an entire bottle if we use two bags of rice per color.

Shake it up! (Fun for the kiddos to do!)

Dump rice onto the baking sheet to dry, it takes 1-2 hours (quick!)

Make as many bags of rainbow rice as you wish – we normally just use the entire box of colors!

Once the rice has dried, toss it in the box! I like to have a box with a lid, so that it cannot be spilled when I am not paying attention.

Your little one will LOVE this Rainbow Rice Sensory Box! Toss in toys, cups, and anything their heart desires. Max loves to throw in all of his tiny dinosaurs, creating a fun game with his big brothers to find them all!

Tag me in all of your Rainbow Rice Sensory Bin adventures!! @abby_thome on Instagram!

Mighty Max – the kid who never sleeps.

March 12, 2019 by Abby Thome

I’ll never forget sharing with anyone and everyone who would listen that my then, 3 month old baby, was sleeping through the night. Zero sleep training, or bedtime routine. Our sweet Max would nod off as soon as the clock striked 6:30pm and would not wake until 5:30am the next morning. There is something to be said about your self-worth as a parent when your kid is doing something “by the books”. It feels good! As a parent you genuinely feel like you, whether you have anything to really do with it or not, have conquered a particular stage of raising little ones – and it feels damn good to have at least one factor of your day go smoothly, without struggle.

What if I told you, that the sweet stage of my 12 week old sleeping through the night lasted about 8 more weeks? And for the past 2 1/2 years Max has never made bedtime easy again. Before the age of one I would use every excuse in the book to try to cope with him not sleeping. “He must be going through a growth spurt, he had shots today, oh! he is teething!, he is just attached.” The excuses could stretch as far as I could pull my excess stomach skin from growing him.

Let’s fast forward to now. I’ll let you skip all of the chatter about the tears, arguing, and pure exhaustion that the hubs and I have gone through the past two years trying to figure it all out.

Some nights, we strike gold. And after fighting bedtime for 90 minutes or so, he’ll cave in and sleep.

For about 45 minutes until he is up screaming again.

Every night he ends up in our bed, because after two years of playing this bedtime game with him has left us so worn out, all we want is sleep.

We have tried sleep training, noise machines, and even took the plunge into melatonin gummies. NONE of which work — The melatonin gummies worked for getting him to sleep. Like clockwork he would be soundly asleep in 45 minutes. Alas, to only waken an hour or so later. His pediatrician just thinks that he is wired to want to be around his brothers – keep up with everyone else. That he knows that we are all still downstairs doing our own thing, and he wants to be a part of it. And as much as I love that kid, you know I do. I want space.

I want a night without pure anxiety building up to bedtime. I want to read him a book, kiss him goodnight and tuck him in without him wrestling me. I want bedtime to be relaxing, not full of tears and ultimately facing caving in and bringing him into my room by 11:00 – because if we didn’t, I do not think we could function during the day.

I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THIS, my loves.

The days are long, like, really long. When you are balancing work, house chores, finances, cleaning, cooking, homework, sports …

You get it.

It is a lot.

At some point, each one of your kids will defy everything and anything you thought would run smoothly on your parenting train.

Make you second guess every decision you’ve made, and every piece of advice you’ve ever been given.

Just know this …

You do not have to make excuses like I did for months for Max. Sometimes, it is the way it is – and this phase, while it sucks, is a phase, and it shall pass too.

Find comfort in friends who listen, family who understands, and know that even when you feel SO freaking alone during these periods, there are SO many moms/dads going through the same thing. Most people are not like me, an open book – no one wants to talk about the things they struggle over with their kiddos. Heck, then they feel like everyone will judge them.

I’m here to tell you, this is a judgement free zone.

This blog is a space to talk – to find community. To not feel judged, or questioned about your choices.

A place to feel inspired, connected and loved. A place to laugh, and relate too.

We are all doing our best. Our kids will challenge us for years to come. And if we cannot be open and honest about it all, the gap between relating to other parents will grow so deep the only thing we will see are the pretty filtered pictures on social media – that leave us feeling like everyone else has it all together.

NO ONE HAS IT ALL TOGETHER, my loves.

And that, that my friends, is OKAY.

xoxo, Abby

Breezy + Feminine or a Moody Master Bedroom?

March 7, 2019 by Abby Thome

Carrying an Instagram conversation over to the good ole’ blog – or like these hysterical parents would say – “GOLB spelled backwards”

This video had tears streaming down my face — how freaking cute are they?!

BACK TO THE CONVERSATION …

How does one decide what rooms to tackle first in their home? The vast majority of you guys agreed on this, the rooms that get decorated and or receive the most attention are the rooms that guests will see when they are in your home. It makes sense, right? Kitchen, family/living room – the bathroom that guests use. These are usually top priority on home owners lists on spaces they want to make sure are ready for others to see. So, where does that leave the other rooms? Waayyy on the back burner. And, it had me thinking. WHY! Why do we neglect the rooms that we ourselves spend SO much time in, just because we rationalize that the door is always closed and no one will ever see it?

Our master bedroom lives behind a mysterious door that is closed 90% of the time that guests are in our home. It is usually a central hub for throwing laundry we forgot to fold, or in general a dumping ground for odds and ends. BUT – we actually spend quite a bit of time in this space. Sleeping – getting ready – catching up on work on our laptops. This forgotten space, in my opinion, deserves a little more TLC than what it is given.

Who here has been around since we purchased this home in 2014?? Do you remember what the master bedroom looked like?

Let me remind you…

What a stunner! Am I right? The hand painted stencil border, the burgundy trim, and let us not forget to honor the foam like carpet that hadn’t been touched in decades. Don’t you just wanna curl up and take a nap?? HA. Didn’t think so!

In 2014 we made the quickest changes we could to breathe life back into our master bedroom.

Dan and I made the decision to run laminate hardwood flooring throughout the entire second floor – where the foamy carpet once laid. Giving the upstairs a more uniform look. It was the first time in our entire relationship that we treated ourselves to a new bed (we felt like SUCH adults!) – and just purchased a few pieces to pull the room together.

And here we still are ….. 5 years later. And I am SO sick of looking at our massively overly flesh toned space.

In comes our second topic of conversation on Instagram – what look you prefer for a master bedroom. Traditional/modern/moody/flirty/feminine …etc.

I’ll be the first to admit, I played it WAY to safe when we started decorating our home. I think I was afraid to step outside the box too far — cross a line and regret it. Which sound ridiculous as I type it. Because, like I’ve always preached to you all here, if YOU like it – it will never go out of style. So experiment in your home! Test the waters, paint a few times, switch furniture around — make your house the way YOU like it. Because guests leave, you stay.

With this room needing a full revamping I had a fun time creating two polar opposite mood boards to tempt Dan with.

Let me start with the Breezy Feminine master I created – all with pieces from Wayfair!

Does this give you all the tingles or what?! Thick luscious drapes, matching his and her dressers …

The floral wallpaper (I visualize) would be hung above the chair rail in our room – below the chair rail I would want to create some type of board and batten below in a crisp white. Very similiar to this bedroom I’ve oogled over for years from the movie the Change Up. Yes I am a freak of nature, and hold onto images from movies I watch – I could forget what an entire movie is based on, and yet remember the incredible kitchen layout/design.

Catch my drift? I think in a home adorned with four darling men in my life, this girl deserves a little pink!

BUT. Believe it or not ….. I want the opposite (for now) A moody master bedroom that wraps you up so tight in darkness and depth you feel like you are in a cocoon.

AhHhHhH… I can’t even look at it. I want it more than a freaking golden egg in Willy Wonka.

Same concept — floral wall paper above newly installed board and batten. Matching his and her dressers. A touch of pink in the area rug, enough to give some dimension. Dreamy forest green velvet curtains, and a modern upholstered bed to pull the entire room together. I seriously cannot stop staring at this mood board, and trying to figure out what organ I can sell so I can get it all done stat!

Every single one of these pieces can be found at Wayfair, and this is not sponsored in any way. I truly stand behind this company – they have the absolute best customer service! You can “heart” “save” an item and create a page of items that you like, and categorize them as you like. Making saving decor inspiration extremely easy, and giving you the capability to see pieces side by side! I LOVE it and use it all the time!

You can shop all of these pieces here ..

Breezy Feminine Master Bedroom

Moody Master Bedroom

Which look is your favorite?? Comment here, or run your cute tush over to my Instagram page and show me some love and tell me there!

Spring Forward with Wayfair!

February 28, 2019 by Abby Thome

You all know how much Wayfair has my heart. Always has, always will. A big thank you to them, for supporting our blog, and thank you to all of our readers for showing them the love they deserve! This post is sponsored by Wayfair, all opinions are my own.

Let’s talk morning – more specifically, let’s talk about morning time with kids. We have 3 boys, as most of you know – 3 boys with polar opposite dispositions during the wee hours of the morning. As their parents, Dan and I try out best to balance out each childs “vibes of the day” that they push our way, but sometimes (aka. most of the time) it proves to be beyond challenging.

One is always complaining of some kind of illness – one puts on pants that suddenly the tags are bothering them – and the other does not like anything I have offered to eat for breakfast. While juggling the tornado of emotions coming at us, we always manage to stay on track – and leave the house for an early arrival to parent drop off with time to spare. HOW, you ask? Being organized!

We learned early on, with our kids, waking up too early for a slow pace morning is NOT a good thing. Giving our boys more than an hour to get ready for school leads to boredom, watching tv, anxious feelings, and dreading going to school. 30-45 minutes is all we need to get dressed, pack lunches, eat, wash up and get into the car. It’s like a well oiled machine at this point!

Staying organized, and making sure that the boys have everything they need at their fingertips is key. Their bathroom closet needed all the help it could get, it was the one space in that newly renovated room that we had purposely left behind. After months of the kids hooting and hollering asking where extra toothpaste, brushes, combs were – we knew it was time to tackle this closet so they could have everything they need to get ready in one spot!

Just look at how we left it for over a year (Eeeek!)

I could not just toss shelving in and call it a day. Nothing can be simple when I get the opportunity to really pour some love into a space. I chose a few fantastic items that really took this closet from nasty and neglected to fabulous and functional!

I gave the entire closet a high gloss coat of ultra pure white (my favorite) – and added these darling sticker decal polka dots!

No matter the size of the space you have to work with, your options are endless. These sticker decals gave the walls the pop they needed, without having to feel stuck with the look years from now if the boys (or we) decide we are not fans anymore!

Next up, give me all the baskets. I knew I wanted a few that the boys could see through, where they could easily access mouthwash, floss, toilet paper, body lotion etc, quickly and without needing to yell for help on a busy school morning. Adding a basket that could hide clean undies and socks, making those crazy morning moments a breeze!

Fresh towels are worth every penny. Linens are something I always forget to update. I’ll go years using the same ones – we are pitching all of our old towels or keeping them for rags and replacing them with these beauties. They are BIG thick towels, which, in my opinion are the hardest to find. I purchased them in white, but they come in all sorts of beautiful colors!

These wire mesh baskets are a total dream. Deep and tall enough to fill to the brim with all of your products. I’d love these for my kitchen pantry too! You get 6 baskets for $52.99 – and that’s a steal for their size and durability! We keep all of the toiletries that the boys need in the morning, so they know to look in the closet before they ask us where something is 🙂

Don’t get me started on my love for these collapsible pom-pom baskets. They are beyond adorable – and the perfect size to hide the boys socks and undies in! These baskets come in a set of two different sizes, we have another tossed on the ground for the dirty items to get tossed into when the day is over!

Just look at the reflection of this darling closet in the mirrors reflection! So happy we finally tackled this space. I’ll admit, I’m a little jealous that the boys bathroom is done so beautifully, while our master sits rotting like a old apple under a couch. BUT – our time will come.

What space in your home are you dying to organize? A kitchen pantry? Mud room? Tell me in the comments below!

Award Season with Nellie’s Free Range Eggs!

February 23, 2019 by Abby Thome

Thank you to Nellie’s Eggs for sponsoring this content…..

all opinions and verbiage is of my own. just a girl who adores chickens. and feels extra grateful for Nellie’s Eggs who do it right.

I introduced you all on my Instagram page, to Nellie’s Free Range Eggs a few months back, and my love for this company and what it stands for has grown more and more every time I use their eggs.

Let’s make it really simple to understand, shall we? Most of the chicken we eat today are raised and slaughtered within 60 days. Can you believe that?? There are chicken farmers that specific job is to grow these babies as rapidly as possibly until it’s time to move onto to the next batch.

WHAT. THE. CLUCK?!?

So these sweet little baby chicks are days old, sent to these farms and never see the light of day until their growing time is up. It’s insane! Not to make you depressed or question what you are eating, but I think it is extremely important that we start educating ourselves about WHERE our food is from.

WHO grows/produces/makes it. And truly make an effort to support smaller family owned farms.

When Nellie’s reached out to me to see if I was interested in trying their eggs I wish I could have slapped on my boots and ran to their nearest farm and spend the day learning about their mission. On these small family owned farms, these chickens are raised with love and care. They can roam, peck, and enjoy the day as they please. These happy chickens produce the most delicious eggs you’ll ever eat. I could not believe the color difference in their yolks the second I cracked it open.

What did we decide to make with Nellie’s Eggs this round, you ask?

Eggcellent Question!

CAKE!

Award season is upon us, and nothing screams celebration quite like cake. I decided to shake things up and make a delicious Champagne Cake – and tonight the kiddos and I are doing our very own award ceremony. We’ll make up our own catorgories, and pick winners based on all of the amazing movies we love as a family!

Nellie’s Eggs made the most scrumptious cake batter, and the champagne took this cake to an entirely new level!

Just look at those tiny finger prints swiped into the frosting … Max could not keep his tiny paws off of it!

What goodies will you be whipping up for the award ceremony tomorrow?

May I recommend a few family favorites?

Crock Pot Spinach Artichoke Dip

Sweet Low and Slow Chicken Wings

Fried Mac n’ Cheese Bites

Mini Baked Potatoes with Bacon + Chive Sour Cream

Just keep PINNING!

February 12, 2019 by Abby Thome

Like my “Just keep pinning” Pun?

Am I funny? No, just mom brain always taking over, thanks Dory.

Seriously though, Pinterest came in hot, fizzled out when other entertaining social media outlets came around, and this past year it has really stepped up its game! Pinterest is the ultimate one stop shop for inspiration. From home decor, recipes and hair styles – it is my central hub to scroll and save.

You can follow me , HERE.

Let’s chat about some of my absolute favorite pins as of lately. The ones that are keeping me up at night. The exterior of our home + our first floor renovation for 2020.

(source)

We’ve chatted since we have moved in here, as to what we are going to do with the exterior of our home. Our siding is faded, and the new wave trend of gray/navy tones for siding are exploding. It’s taken long enough for home builders to recognize just how stunning these darker tones look against different landscapes. I want to go DARK. So dark gray its borderline BLACK.

I want people to turn the corner of our street and starting singing to themselves, “Here comes the house in black …” Will Smith style

(Source)

A house so bold and moody, yet enveloping all emotions of comfort and calming.

Our siding is aluminum (Strong stuff!) So we are leaning to painting it – we’ve done it before, we’ll do it again!

As for our first floor renovation, we are going to spend the majority of 2019 planning it all out. Our house lacks light, BIG time. When your inside, the light barely comes in and we are constantly turning on light fixtures to off set the cloud of dull that is lurking throughout first floor.

We plan to extend our kitchen, to build it out to meet the back of our addition. Add a TON of windows along the back of our house –

(source)

The lighter floors, black rimmed windows … Oohh baby baby.

(source)

Light is so important to me. Each morning I implement light, movement and hydration within minutes of walking up. I am creature of habit, and we’ll chat more about that later this week in a fun personal post!

(source)

With the first floor expansion, the plan is to create a massive kitchen – a walk in pantry and new half bath. New flooring through the first floor, and fixing our stairway and railing going upstairs. We’ve had one quote done thus far, and now we are in the contemplating stage of what WE should do, and what we should pay SOMEONE ELSE to do. You know how we roll, trying to keep that pocket change to ourselves.

Head to my Pinterest page and take a gander at everything I am eyeing lately. And if you haven’t dabbled in pinning lately, get ready, because the content on Pinterest lately is oh SO good!

xoxo, abby

The boys bathroom one year later

February 1, 2019 by Abby Thome

One full year of three little boys in a brand new bathroom – and I bet you all are wondering. How has it held up?

One full year of urine soaked grout, chipped paint and toy scuffs on the tub ….

Alas, our bathroom renovation not only has stood the test of 3 Thome boys – it has surpassed my expectations!

Here are some updated pictures, minus the fru-fru plants and staging I did in the original reveal. Just keeping it real ya’ll –

Let this be a reminder/lesson/point to be proven … We lived with the original bathroom for 3 years before we decided to take on the bathroom renovation. Looking back at the original pictures, I have caught myself gagging at the sight of the bathtub, in pure disbelief that we “made it work” for so long. This bathroom is a tried and true example of swallowing your pride when it comes to the way a few areas of your house may look for an extended period of time.

This is what the bathroom looked like when we purchased the house in 2014

We attempted a quick fix with paint, because like a nasty zit, sometimes all you need is a bit of concealer to get you through.

Who doesn’t love a good linoleum floor? One sheet of sticker-like-goodness!

The bathtub itself was so worn out the bottom ivory coating was worn off completely. We layered bath mats to “make it work”. WOOF.

As much as we love salvaging what we can about a room we are doing, this entire bathroom needed to be gutted. Plumbing, electrical all needed updated – and we were SO glad to see it all go!

The boys new bathroom makes me grin ear to ear!

We stuck with dark grout for the tile, which I could not recommend more if you have little ones! It hides all of the gross grimy messes. One year later and the grout is in perfect condition, with the same intense black depth.

I love the storage the vanity offers. We keep the two baskets filled with extra shampoo/body wash/lysol wipes. Simple things the kids can grab on their own when they are in a rush. The vanity itself has a few new dings and patches of well dried toothpaste chunks. But, it is still in one piece – and with all of the climbing, water fights and secrete science experiments – it’s held up quite well.

The over sized art work and the black pendant lighting are still my favorite pieces in the room!

The Threshold artwork is a two pack. For only $79, you cannot beat it!

The towel hooks were a great addition to this wall – you can find a large assortment at Home Depot/Lowes – I think we spent less than $1.00 on each!

One year later and we still have yet to change out the pictures in the frames above the toilet. I’d like to say it is because we just think the kid in the photo is too cute (because he is) but it is because we forget about it the second we leave the room.

The few things that need fixed since the renovation …

The entire base of white shiplap needs painted again. Little boys peeing in every direction besides the toilet (how hard can it really be??) has led to yellow dripped walls that not even a magic erase bar can clear.

The linen closet is like a forgotten portal. We need shelves and a new door. A certain seven-year old (who shall remain nameless) likes to find any chip of peeling paint and take it upon himself to peel back massive sections of paint off of the door. So while the pictures make it seem as if this is a project that has been checked off of our to-do list there are still indeed, projects lurking in the background

Let’s focus on all of the improvements! I am still giddy over how my vision was brought to life. Take the time to make a vision board guys, it really helps you see a space in its entirety in a way that you can easily swap pieces as you shop around for the best prices!

Our basement full bath is prepped and ready to go, so this week we are starting to process of planning for tile/fixtures etc. I can’t wait to show you the design I have in mind for this space! I’ll be sharing all of the details with you guys next week, so make sure to swing on by for more inspiration!

I’m back with the basement reveal!!

January 15, 2019 by Abby Thome

I’m back, bitches.

Did you miss me??

It’s hard to believe it has been over six months since my last blog post. My social media detox went deeper than I had ever anticipated, and it feels fantastic to be back!

Speaking of social media, I need your help … Come follow along. I relaunched my Facebook page, and my Instagram is getting a total reboot – so if you want to join along for the ride make SURE you are following me! More day to day life, home updates, giveaways, Insta-stories and more … you won’t want to miss it!

Facebook: follow me here

Instagram: follow me here

So what have we been up to in The Thome Home for the past six months?

THE BASEMENT!

It’s hard to believe that we have officially finished the family room part of our basement renovation, and that it was all DIY by Dan and his father. The counter top and carpet were the only two items we called the pro’s for. When we purchased this house in 2014, Dan and I were well aware that the basement issues were the key as to why the house was not selling. And if you know Dan and I well enough after blogging since 2011 – we jump for joy when we see something falling apart. The crappier the house, the bigger the smiles we have. Before it was hip to purchase fixer uppers, we were taking the plunge with our first home in 2011.

Jump to our current money pit, the basement took a huge chunk of change out of our pockets immediately upon purchasing. Steel beams to support collapsing walls, waterproofing, replacing the sinking front porch … the list goes on and on. It took a little over four years for us to gather the courage and funds to enter this space. To create the basement of our dreams for our wild little boys to enjoy.

Take a look at this beauty before. Sure, after a few cocktails she may look a little better. Once the lines are blurred. But the second the morning sun shines down on her, you are faced with a basement that not even the best face tuning could improve.

When creating the concept for this space we knew that it had to be a room that could grow with us as a family. Sure, we have a toddler, but we also have a nine-year old, and seven-year old. And if how fast they have grown is any clue to how quickly well blink and have teenagers hanging out in this space, we knew we had to not only hurry, but make it a basement that could accommodate everyone.

If you take a look at the ‘before’ pictures, you may see one of the best qualities of this space. We had two giant rectangle sections to work with. Our basement, before the stair case is a giant open area. Minus the poles, which are only a minor road block. Dan wanted to maintain the area “behind” the stairs to be dedicated to two different uses. 1. A full bathroom (we are starting next month!) and 2. Storage – if you’ve seen my obsession for pillows and home decor you know this girl needs somewhere to shove it.

We decided to add two “closets” to the corner of the room to have easy access to the electrical and sump pump. Thank goodness for the tech nerd in Dan, because he thought of every last drop of electrical we would need for this space. Those hideous steel posts started to look so nice once they were framed out too! Drywall is like putting concealer on the worst under eye bags you have ever seen. Suddenly, this space did not feel like a dungeon, but a space that we were starting to see the light at the end of a long renovation tunnel!

Are you ready to see the beautiful basement we created?!!?

The Tenille Chesterfield Sofas stole every drop of my soul the second that I spotted them on Wayfair.

These two pieces have become my absolute favorite furniture addition to our home – Sleek, tufted and comfortable beyond words – they set the tone for this basement and gave it the fresh look I was longing for!

Two darling armchairs were added for additional seating – believe it or not even with two large sofas and four bar stools we need more spaces for our guests to get cozy! The large woven basket and storage cabinet are both from Target! I am SUPER picky when it comes to picking furnishings for any room in my home. I cannot stand buying a piece of decor/furniture if it turns out to be flimsy or a total piece of crap. The armchair cushions are so substantial and cozy! The storage cabinet is actually quite heavy and solid! And the basket, if I had a dollar for every time I attempted to bring home another basket I’d be rich. This beauty is thick and strong. Any toddler bum could try to take a seat on it and it will not smoosh (that’s a win, fyi)

The bar was by far our number one “must have” for the basement. If you’ve hung with us before you know we love to entertain. Any night of the week you can find us extending invites for drinks and dinner. A full house is a house full of fun in our minds. So, this bar was an essential piece. Dan and John created this gorgeous, massive bar all on their own. Custom shelving holds a plethora of snacks for guests, and an over-sized counter top acts as an island. The brass pendant lighting is from Wayfair. I also have four new boyfriends that are tall, slender and have the most delectable leather touches.

These bar stools , from Wayfair too, are so freaking comfortable you guys, I think I recall getting a little choked up when we put them together, and I wish I was trying to be funny. I am a firm believer that every single space in your home should have these three elements :

1. Wood 2. Metal 3. Multiple Fabrics

Late one night when neither Dan or I could sleep, he texted me a picture of this cabinet posted by one of our favorite thrifty stores and you bet your sweet muffin top I was there the second it opened to purchase it. We bought a basic tv stand from Wayfair before we hosted Christmas Eve and I gagged every time I walked into the basement. It did not fit the space at all. I know I wanted one more wood element, and searched high and low for a quality wood cabinet with brass pulls that would not cost $1,500. No such luck. Until my stud of a husband saved the day. This cabinet gave the basement the touch old that it needed to balance all of the new pieces we bought.

Another fun piece of decor we got are these prints! The maps of the three cities we have made love in, I am kidding. We have LIVED in, they are a sentimental reminder of all the different places we have called home.

You guys, I’ve said it before, and I will say it again ….

YOU can do anything YOU want to your home. Big projects or little projects, high-end or thrifted, YOU are the owner, YOU are the one who lives there. Regardless of the hottest trends that make you feel like you have to jump on board and replicate so other people “OoO” and “aah” over your home DO NOT SWEAT IT – YOU DO YOU.

Our basement once was a total death trap, and now it is the heart of our home. Endless hours are spent relaxing, entertaining and playing down here! It took us four years of complete patience to live with it the way it was to get here …

the best things come to those who wait 🙂